Yuletide Love
by NintendoGal55
Summary: Post-TJM. A sweet few moments of the newly together couple taking time to celebrate Christmas Day together.


**You're probably thinking "Nintendo! What the heck? A CHRISTMAS story in the middle of summer?"**

**Well, for one thing, this idea came to me last night, and I'm not going to wait seven months just to write and post this! And second, well, I don't always write holiday stories in time for the upcoming holiday. XD So, yeah. This can be for this year's Christmas done ahead of time! :D**

**It takes place after TJM, and is just a sweet and fun little Christmas one-shot.**

XXXX

"Pookie! Put down those binoculars, it's Christmas!"

"Oh don't start that nonsense on Groundhog Day there, General!"

"Um, Mom, why don't you help Stella with the pudding? She could use a hand."

"Will do Junior Sergeant!"

Gertie cast a knowing wink to her grandson before she practically danced to the kitchen, humming cheerfully about there being six more weeks of winter. Miles shook his head in amusement, smiling.

"Eccentrically quirky as always, isn't she, Dad?"

"You bet your chin there, son!" Phil patted his son on the back. "Pookie sure can liven things up, especially since it's your first Christmas back here in good ol' Hillwood City and not in the middle of a stinkin' jungle!"

Miles laughed and nodded. "You can say that again. I'm glad to be back." He looked over at Arnold, who was happily arranging and then re-arranging two particular gifts that were set in from of him next to the tree. One wrapped in red wrapping paper with green wreathes printed on it, and another wrapped in green wrapping paper with red and gold bells printed on it. Both were topped with bright pink holiday ribbons tied into bows. His smile grew, he knew who those two were for.

"And it's not the only first around here!" Phil added, winking.

"Yes! It is the first Christmas since last year that I can be with my daughter!" Mr. Hyun chimed in. "She will be here soon!"

"It's the first Christmas since I finally got my job! Now I don't have to ask Suzie for more money! ...Sometimes, heh heh heh..." Said Oskar.

"Oh, Oskar..." Suzie rolled her eyes, but managed a smile anyway.

"Come on Suzie, it's Christmas!"

"First Christmas since I demo'd the biggest building ever needed to come down!" Ernie hooted. "Hey Kokoshka ya bum, quit touching my gifts there!"

"And let us not forget Arnold, he has his first Christmas back with his parents!" Mr. Hyun announced as if they needed to know.

Arnold gave a smile, looking up from his nervous twitch of arranging and re-arranging the two aforementioned gifts. During the fateful class trip to San Lorenzo back in October, they had found and brought back his parents, and were a whole family again, just as he'd always dreamed of. It was still mind boggling, to wake up on Christmas morning and seeing his father reading the paper with Phil, his mother helping his grandmother make pancakes, it was wonderful. Even a couple months since they'd been back, he found himself having to pinch his arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

And every time, he wasn't dreaming. It was real. Truly real. Every night he went to bed with warm goodnights from both his parents and grandparents, and every morning he was greeted by the set of both generation parents as well. Everything was going beautifully. Stella had a new job at the Hillwood hospital as a doctor's assistant, being a doctor herself, and Miles was currently getting a teaching degree at the local community college so that he could teach Anthropology at the downtown University. Adventurous as they were, they wanted time to settle and relax for a while and raise their son, after having been unable to for so long.

He'd gone to San Lorenzo under the possibility of being an orphan, just to get final closure on what had happened to them. And he came back a child with loving and very much alive parents.

But that wasn't the only thing he came back with.

"That's not his _only_ first." Phil winked at Miles, who laughed.

"Not by a long shot, Dad." Miles agreed. "Right, Arnold?"

"Definitely, Dad." Arnold replied, a soft and dreamy look coming to his eyes.

"And about time, too!" Phil cajoled. "Poor short man, always having trouble with the ladies, but man did he hook in a keeper!"

"Couldn't agree with you more about that." Miles chuckled. "One in a million, if you ask me."

That was when the doorbell rang, and before anyone could move up to attempt to answer it, the young boy who had been sitting on the floor just moments ago was gone. As if having vanished into thin air. All of the adults gave laughter, since he'd been doing this all morning whenever the doorbell rang.

"Ah, kids in love." Ernie remarked.

...

Making sure that none of the animals were going to be ready to stampede out the door the minute he opened it, which thankfully they did not. In the clear, Arnold eagerly opened the door to reveal the very thing he'd been waiting for all morning. Heck, even long before this morning.

On the doorstep stood none other than his girlfriend of two months, which seemed like an eternity for most kids their age. She stood there with her hands behind her back, a playful smirk on her face, but her big blue eyes wide and full of happiness, joy and love directed right at him.

"Two point three seconds, not bad, you're beating your record of four seconds there, football head." Helga teased.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Helga." Arnold playfully berated her, and gave her a hug. He couldn't help it, he was just glad to see her.

"What the heck, Merry Christmas Arnold." She gave him a hug back, her expression becoming a dazed and lovesick smile. They parted, and she was about to say something else when she was cut off by a short but very sweet kiss on the lips from him. In short she just felt dazed and was unable to say anything for a moment.

Chuckling, Arnold smiled and led her inside, closing the door. "Come on inside Helga, so you can get warm. Do you want some hot chocolate?"

"Heck yeah I do! But you sure? I mean I don't want to intrude or anything, ya know. Plus Olga's chatting a storm, don't know if Bob and Miriam will-"

"Of course I'm sure, and you know we love having you here."

"Fine, but you take my coat. Nothing on the cheap, Arnoldo." Helga gave a smirk as she undid her coat.

Arnold chuckled and helped her out of her coat, and took her hat and mittens. "Whatever you say, Helga." He took in her little get-up, with was a red dress with short sleeves, a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, her hair down in a light bob wave, and her omnipresent pink bow on her head. "You look really nice, is that a new dress?"

"Well doi, I'm a girlfriend now, of course I have to look nice." Helga said, smoothing her dress. "And yes, it's new. Got it this morning, decided to wear it to come see you."

"You didn't have to Helga, but it was sweet of you." And then he lit up as he remembered something. "Come on, I have something for you."

"Lead the way, you're the host."

She followed him into the living room, and immediately made a beeline for the fireplace, warming herself.

"What? It's cold out there!"

"Oh, Helga!" Stella exclaimed as she entered the room and saw her there. "How nice of you to come visit us here. How are you?"

"Just peachy, Arnold's Mom." Helga replied, turning around to let her backside get warm from the fire.

Stella giggled, shaking her head. "Helga you've been dating Arnold for a couple of months now, and I've told you before, please just call me Stella. It's a lot easier than 'Arnold's Mom'."

A little blush crossed the young girl's cheeks. "Okay...Stella. Guess I'm not used to this kind of thing."

"Eleanor!" Gertie burst into the room, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, green pants and a grass skirt, holding a pineapple in one hand and a laid in the other. "How nice of you to join us on this lovely day! Luau!"

A smile immediately broke out on Helga's face as she joined along doing the hula dance with Gertie. "Luau! Oi!"

Over the past couple of months, she'd gotten to know Gertie and thought her to be incredibly fun, not to mention a gal right out of her own heart, considering the hilarious story she and Phil shared about their past as children. Who would've thought that their past mirrored just what now the second generation had? Helga thought it to be awesome and so ironic, and felt a new spark of hope. If Phil and Gertie were able to overcome the troubles and hardships, and grow to fall so in love, get married, have a great child, and the most perfect grandchild (in her opinion, of course), and _still_ be in love after being married for many decades, then maybe...just maybe, one day she and Arnold would meet the same fate.

Now she and Gertie had their own little fun together since she'd gotten closer to Arnold when they began dating. They went on outings, she learned how to knit, they baked, talked about a million things, it was like having a Grandmother, and so close by, since both her maternal and paternal grandparents lived so far away.

In fact, surprising as it sounded, Helga got along _really well_ with the family. She liked listening to ol' Steely Phil's stories, especially war stories, she enjoyed examining artifacts and listening to Anthropology factors with Miles, not to mention having a fun fatherly figure around, and she liked helping Stella out with her medicine works and learning how it all worked, not to mention just talking to her as a woman, like she was a motherly figure.

At first, she'd been nervous and pretty sure that his family would hate her, considering the torture she'd inflicted upon him all these years, and everything else in between. But Arnold assured her that they were good people and believed in second chances. By then they'd been dating for about two weeks, and he wanted to introduce her to his family properly. She'd been reluctant, saying it was a bad idea and she'd be humiliated. Arnold promised her that he DID mention to his parents and grandparents that she was nervous and needed time to adjust, but that he would leave her to solve anything on her own, and she was grateful for that, even with a little boost.

Since then, it went pretty well. Helga slowly warmed up to them, and had a little help in being herself, not putting up the mental walls so much anymore. She was still a little cautious these days, but she felt a lot better than before. Every time she walked into the Sunset Arms, she felt less scared and nervous, and more warm and welcome and confident. They treated her like family, and accepted her apologies, though they insisted they weren't needed, they understood.

In all, she really liked them a lot. Even if at times it reminded her how they treated her better than her own family, which just wasn't right. It was reality. But the war wasn't over. Not even close.

"Wonderful yet again, Eleanor!" Gertie clapped her hands as they stopped dancing.

"Thank you thank you, do hold your applause." Helga said sarcastically, but smiled.

Stella giggled, and Arnold smiled warmly while Gertie gave Helga's hair an affectionate ruffle before she returned to the kitchen.

"We'll be right back, we have to finish some things up. You two be careful of the fire." Stella told them before she too exited the room, a secretive smile on her face.

Now left alone with him, Helga blushed a bit and wasn't quite sure where to look, but even though she tried, her eyes were continuously drawn to the young boy standing a few feet away from her. The love of her life. The boy she'd longed to have for _so long_ was finally here like this, her boyfriend. _Boyfriend_.

And now she came over to give him a little Christmas gift, not that it would be able to top last year's. But still thoughtful, right?

"Okay football head, may as well get it over with." She reached into her bag, and pulled out a wrapped package. "Here ya go, Merry Christmas."

"Gosh, thanks Helga." Arnold smiled, taking the package from her and inspecting it. He then put it down and went over to the tree, picking up two gifts and bringing them back over to her. "Here, these are for you."

"For me?" Helga's eyes went wide as she took them. "...You got me _two_? Aw man, thanks a lot. Now I have to go out and find another one for you!"

"No no, you don't have to Helga." He assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You know I'll always appreciate any gift you give me, and I'd never belittle it. It's the thought that counts. Don't think you have to buy something huge and expensive to make me happy."

The unease wore away and Helga smiled, looking into his gorgeous green eyes as they looked back lovingly into hers. It still made her heart skip to see him gaze her with so much love and adoration like this.

"Why do you always know the right things to say, football head?"

A little blush crossed the boy's face. "Making the people I care about feel happy and good about themselves is something I just do."

_And don't you ever stop doing that, my darling little angel._ She thought, a blissfully happy look coming to her face before she snapped out of it and playfully poked him in the nose. "You and your mannerisms. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Not at all."

Helga snickered and then sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace, and waited for him to join her. He did, and sat next to her.

"So, you first?"

"Ladies first."

"Arnold! How many times do I have to tell you that it's meant for opening doors?"

He just grinned at her.

Rolling her eyes, Helga conceded and opened the smaller package first. A big smile came to her face that she couldn't even think to conceal. It was a framed photo of the two of them together. He had his arm around her shoulders, smiling more toward her than at the camera, while she was obviously giggling a little and smiling in return, looking more toward him also, her face lit up with joy. It was back around when they'd been celebrating being together for about a month, and were at the pier, reminiscing last year when they'd spent Thanksgiving together, wandering around the city and the pier, since they were both feeling pretty crummy about not having what they deemed as a "real" Thanksgiving. That day now meant very much to them, since it was one of the times in the past that they got along so well, and even bonded. In the background of the photo was the water, with the sun going lower and lower in the sky, dipping into the water, as they stood on the dock. The same spot where they'd observed the replica of the Mayflower crashing.

"I have a copy of it too, it's in my room, I'm sure you've seen it. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I decided to wait and give it to you today." Arnold admitted, blushing a bit. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? You silly football head, do you even _need_ to ask?" Helga said dryly, but smiled at him giddily. Not waiting for an answer, she gave him a tight hug, which caught him by surprise as he let out a little squeak. Too cute. "But really, thanks a lot. It'll be nice to have a photo of the two of us for a change. I'll have to make a smaller copy for my locket."

Arnold chuckled at the idea and hugged her back, his stomach filling with butterflies and his heart racing. "You're welcome Helga, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too." The blonde girl pulled away, and then surprised him yet again with a kiss, something she just had fun doing. Surprise kisses were always cute, especially on his part, when he'd seem to melt under her embrace and then kiss her back moments later. Her kiss this time was gentle and sweet, pouring her feelings into it. Granted, she still did plant a few strong and forceful kisses on him from time to time, but on a regular basis she apted for kisses like this. But one thing she didn't quite change was that she wasn't exactly known for short kisses.

Pulling away once more, and giggling at his dazed expression, she patted his head where his hat rested and then took the slightly bigger gift to open up. Removing the wrapping paper, she opened it up to find a large book of all kinds of short stories and poems, _Short Stories & Poems Galore_. Eagerly, she took the book out of the box and flipped through a few of the pages.

"WHOA! How did you know I wanted this? It's been sold out of every book store for weeks! How did you get it? !"

"It wasn't easy." Arnold admitted, blushing a bit. "I had to get the bookstore downtown to place an order for it at the big book shipping store in Seattle. But I know how much you wanted it, and I really wanted to get it for you. I almost gave up and wanted to borrow it from the library and copy all the stories by hand and put it in a few large notebooks or something."

Helga giggled at this, seeing that the book itself was pretty thick. "You would've had to do hundreds of pages just for that."

"I know, but...well, I really wanted you to have it even if I had to make it myself. I really like to make you happy, Helga, because..." His blush increased and he managed to look at her with a bashful smile. "I love you."

An unwitting giggle escaped her as she gave him a one-armed hug, nuzzling her head against his.

"Thank you, Arnold." She whispered.

Arnold hugged her back, closing his eyes as he smiled, inhaling her scent of vanilla, and snow. "You're welcome, Helga. I'm glad you like it."

"I _love _it." She corrected, pulling back and kissing his nose. "Now you open up and tell me what you think."

"Sure." He smiled, and took the package she'd given him. Carefully he removed the pretty wrapping paper so he wouldn't tear it.

"Criminy Arnold, you're ten years old on Christmas morning! Tear it up! Rip through it! Free the best!" Helga playfully admonished.

"And ruin your hard wrapping work?" Arnold smiled.

Helga gaped, and snickered. "Touché. That was a good one. You're getting better with the snappy comebacks, Arnoldo. You're starting to scare me."

The blonde boy chuckled and then gently placed the wrapping paper aside to save, and then opened the box it had previously wrapped. Inside were a couple of books, a C.D. Of famous hit Jazz songs, and a bag of candies that he liked so much.

"I know it's not much, but I hope you-" Helga began and was then cut off when Arnold gave her a hug. Which to this day he still had a habit of doing when she did something he liked.

"Thanks so much Helga, I love them." He said, and pulled back, kissing her on the cheek. "Really, thank you."

Blushing at his gestures, Helga smiled. "Ah, you're welcome, football head. Glad you like 'em. I worked hard to get them. That novella there, _The Helper_, kind of reminds me of something you'd do. The main girl and her friends organize to raise money for a charity organization to help donate needs to African countries. A page right out of your own book there. No pun intended."

"Wow Helga, thanks! That kind of story sounds right up my alley." Arnold stood up then, carefully placing the box aside like it was a treasure, and went to the window, looking out at the falling snow.

For a few moments she watched him, and then stood up, going over to stand beside him. "What are you thinking about now, Football Head?"

Arnold was silent for a few moments before he responded. "Well... Everything, I guess. So much happened this year...I know it's not New Years Eve yet, but I guess I can't help but think of everything that came to be. I have my parents back with me, we're a whole family again and I finally got the closure I needed to know. It's my first Christmas with my parents...and, well..." He blushed then. "It's also my first Christmas I ever had a girlfriend. Especially in my first serious relationship."

Glancing at him at the corner of her eye, she smiled. "I see what you mean. I guess in a way we both have a couple of firsts."

Arnold looked at her and smiled before his eyes drifted upward, and sure enough, he saw what was there. He tapped her on the arm, and pointed upward. She looked up too, and came to see some mistletoe hanging above them. They both glanced shyly away from each other, even though they weren't strangers to kissing one another, of course.

They didn't quite notice at first that they had an audience, either.

"Merry Christmas, Helga." Arnold murmured, taking her hands in his.

"Merry Christmas, Arnold." Helga smiled lovingly at him.

After a few moments, they leaned in and their lips met, coming closer to each other. Miles, Stella, Phil, Gertie and the rest of the boarders watched the two kids, stifling giggles.

On Christmas Day, their first Christmas as a couple, Arnold and Helga kissed under the mistletoe, something that was once only an impossible dream, now come true.


End file.
